Hi there, I am developing very bad health anxiety lately, seems like I have had one health issue after another. I have not been feeling well, just now energy, tired, pains.. Anyway I am a 29 year old woman and cancer does run in my mothers family. I am not sure that anyone has had skin cancer but I am worried. 3 weeks ago I noticed that I got a few blood bubbles under my skin so I have been inspecting my skin everyday and I notice that I am breaking out in Moles. They start as little freckles I think or thats what they look like. I noticed 2 on my arm that were not there last week and some others also. I have a growth on the bottom of my left foot that looked like a mole but its not a circle and its raised. Its been there for a few years now. It has some brown in it but its not all the way brown. I also noticed a brown spot on the side of my big toe. I thought I got hurt or something but its just a brown spot. I have also noticed in the past couple of months that the I also have white spots on my body, looks like discoloration. I also have gotten in the past month a bunch of those raised brown skin things all over my chest! I have a growth on my neck that the doctor I seen yesterday said was a skin tag. I tried to tell her about the moles coming out of no where but she was very short with me and said yeah sooo, this happens as you get older, I dont think its anything to worry about. She gave me a referral to a dermatologist but said that I should wait until I have some insurance to go, meanwhile I am afraid! I dont know anything about skin cancer. The moles dont look funny, just like normal moles, I have 2 that are a bit raised but I have had them both for as long as I can remember. They weren't always raised but they were always there. I am just very afraid. I have one near my belly button and it must have been kind of raised because I scratched it and it almost came off, now its kind of hard. I also have 2 moles on my thighs that are small and black not far from each other. I do not spend a lot of time in the sun. I do smoke and I need to stop that or I will probably get lung cancer if I dont already have that too. Anyway has anyone had something like this happen to them? For the past few days I have been so SCARED that I cant sleep or even eat. Please any advice or help? I wonder if its to late if I do have it since they are coming up so fast?? I had blood work the other day and everything was normal with that. I have cat scans of my brain and abdomen and pelvis within the past few months that were normal also. Ok thank you in advance for reading my post. I know I seem like a paranoid crazy person but I am just really afraid. Thanks

I think you need to follow thru with the referral to the dermatologist; the one thing I always hear is that you need to have checked any mole that has changed either in size, color or shape. That's not saying it's cancer, just something that needs to be looked at. Some of the things you describe sound like the pigment changes we develop as we get older.....being in the sun, even for a little while unprotected or having had sun exposure some time in the past, can cause these. For the skin tags, as the doctor said, are generally harmless as are freckles and small moles (that haven't changed)...we all have some of these. Beyond that, there are other rashes which can be associated with allergies and autoimmune disorders such as Lupus.......as for the insurance part, yes, a good dermatologist can be expensive - especially if you have dermabrasion/resurfacing for facial imperfections/acne/pigment changes or if you're having removal/cauterization/cryozation of nonmalignant lesions/skin tags. In my opinion, it is prudent for someone who has a mole with changes, to have those checked out, insurance or not as melamona can be aggressive and is best treated when diagnosed early. I don't think it is a bad idea to go ahead and see a dermatologist, especially and since it is worrying you so much. A dermatologist at least can put your mind at ease.

I have to admit I had a little trouble picturing all these places on you; how in the heck did you write them all down????????????

Last edited by 3red3red; 05-21-2011 at 08:59 PM.
Reason: spelling...here/hear...duh

I think you need to follow thru with the referral to the dermatologist; the one thing I always hear is that you need to have checked any mole that has changed either in size, color or shape. That's not saying it's cancer, just something that needs to be looked at. Some of the things you describe sound like the pigment changes we develop as we get older.....being in the sun, even for a little while unprotected or having had sun exposure some time in the past, can cause these. For the skin tags, as the doctor said, are generally harmless as are freckles and small moles (that haven't changed)...we all have some of these. Beyond that, there are other rashes which can be associated with allergies and autoimmune disorders such as Lupus.......as for the insurance part, yes, a good dermatologist can be expensive - especially if you have dermabrasion/resurfacing for facial imperfections/acne/pigment changes or if you're having removal/cauterization/cryozation of nonmalignant lesions/skin tags. In my opinion, it is prudent for someone who has a mole with changes, to have those checked out, insurance or not as melamona can be aggressive and is best treated when diagnosed early. I don't think it is a bad idea to go ahead and see a dermatologist, especially and since it is worrying you so much. A dermatologist at least can put your mind at ease.

I have to admit I had a little trouble picturing all these places on you; how in the heck did you write them all down????????????

LOL, I have been checking my skin lately because I have been getting Petechiae, I have never had them before and I was checking to see where they were popping up so I know when I started seeing moles in places the werent there a few days before it worried me.